Plastics

In the chemical-production industry, energy-intensive processes are constantly being used to remove unwanted molecules from liquids. It now looks like much of that energy could be saved, however, by utilizing filters made from plastic bottles.

Scientists are claiming to have combined the best features of bio-based PLA plastic and traditional composite materials, with a new all-PLA composite.

Sports Interactive's forthcoming title Football Manager 2020 will be wrapped in a recyclable cardboard sleeve rather than the typical hard plastic casing.

A new substance is claimed to combine strength and toughness, by mixing wood fibers with spider silk.

A new juice kiosk recycles its own orange peels into the cups used by the customers.

​​One disconcerting consequence of our huge plastic pollution problem is that we really have no idea where the stuff can end up. The latest locale to surprise scientists looking into such matters is the Arctic, who say that snowfall there is bringing tiny fragments of plastic along for the ride.​

Cleanyst is compact household appliance designed to cut plastic waste by allowing users to blend their own shampoo, shower gel, handwash, liquid detergent and dishwashing liquid at home by simply adding water to pre-prepared sachets.

​We've already heard about water-repellant materials that copy the structure of the lotus leaf. Now, however, scientists have created a flexible optical plastic that wards off liquids even better, and it was inspired by something else – the humble Enoki mushroom.

When a cotton gin is used to separate cotton fibers from their seeds, a lot of lint is produced as a waste product. Currently, much of that cotton lint is just burned or put in landfills. Thanks to recent research out of Australia, however, it may soon be converted into biodegradable plastic.

Joining a growing contingent of lawmakers around the world, Canada's government is making moves to reduce plastic waste with bans in the pipeline concerning a range of single-use items.

A new study is raising concerns over the effects of plastic pollution in our oceans. For the first time researchers investigated how a common ocean bacteria, responsible for producing over 10 percent of oxygen in the atmosphere, is impaired by chemicals that can leach out of plastic products.

The vast majority of plastic waste can’t be recycled, meaning it ends up in landfills or the ocean. To help curb the problem, researchers at Berkeley Lab have now designed a new type of plastic that can apparently be reduced right back to its molecular parts, before being remade over and over.